ARRL Letter

***************
The ARRL Letter
Vol. 22, No. 28
July 18, 2003
***************
IN THIS EDITION:
* +Hams greet Claudette in Texas
* +More cosponsors sign aboard Spectrum Protection Act bills
* +ARISS logs European school group QSOs
* +Cosmonaut's planned wedding a space first
* +California PRB-1 bill makes it 20!
* +FCC opinion bolsters federal preemption over RFI
* Solar Update
* IN BRIEF:
This weekend on the radio
ARRL Emergency Communications course registration
ARRL Certification and Continuing Education course registration
+The W5YI Report to QRT
Hams support communications in Arizona forest fire
Harmonics Web pages open up the possibilities of ham radio for
youngsters
ARRL Instructor's Manual Supplement now available
Active Club Online Primer now live!
Vote on QST Cover Plaque award
+Hold that AMSAT-NA ballot!
+Available on ARRL Audio News
===========================================================
==>HAMS AID CLAUDETTE RELIEF, CLEANUP EFFORTS
Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) teams and other ham radio
volunteers continue to aid relief organizations in Texas in the aftermath
of Hurricane Claudette. The Category 1 hurricane surprised the Texas coast
July 15 by its earlier-than-predicted arrival and its unexpected ferocity.
Winds were reported at 80 to 85 MPH, and at least two people died as a
result of Claudette's fury. ARRL South Texas Section Manager Ray Taylor,
N5NAV, says solar weather hampered Amateur Radio emergency and relief
traffic via HF nets.
"Communications have really been bad due to solar flares," Taylor said
earlier in the week. "We're using relays out of Mississippi and Alabama."
Taylor also praised the hams who volunteered and pointed out that some
were on duty for more than 20 hours at a stretch.
Taylor said the ARES station at the Texas State Emergency Operations
Center went on the air July 13. ARES volunteers have been helping the
Southern Baptist Convention Men's Kitchen, the American Red Cross and The
Salvation Army relief efforts. An FCC-declared general communications
emergency for the Texas coastal area for 7285 kHz (days) and 3873 kHz
(nights) was rescinded July 17.
South Texas Section Emergency Coordinator Bob Ehrhardt, W5ZX, says 176
ARES members contributed to the storm response in South Texas. The Western
Gulf Emergency Net activated from July 13 as Claudette headed for the
Texas coast and shut down July 17. Emergency operations centers and
several county emergency coordinators used the net to provide weather and
damage reports from their areas.
The Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN) relied on Amateur
Radio HF and VHF communications to support its shelter and canteen
operations in the afflicted areas. Ehrhardt says ARES volunteers used VHF
to assist The Salvation Army and the Red Cross.
The Nacogdoches Amateur Radio Club earlier this week interconnected
repeaters and concerned agencies using EchoLink to aid in the relief
effort. Deep East Texas SKYWARN Coordinator Kevin Anderson, KD5CCH, said
the system tied together the National Hurricane Center, the National
Weather Service, the Texas Department of Public Safety and most coastal
emergency operations centers, making it easy for ham radio storm spotters
to provide first-hand reports to forecasters. At the height of the storm,
NARC Public Information Officer Tim Lewallen, KD5ING, said, traffic was
"almost constant" on the link--dubbed WX_TALK--mainly between the National
Hurricane Center and field observers.
Claudette sparked some thunderstorms and heavy rains in already
rain-soaked portions of South Texas. Property damage in coastal
communities was greater than had been expected and included beach erosion,
undermined foundations and roadways and roofs blown away, Taylor said.
"Galveston was hard hit with houses along the coast very heavily damaged."
Many residents had fled in advance of the storm's arrival.
Taylor said power and telephone service was knocked out in nearly all
areas along the coast from Galveston to 20 miles north of Corpus
Christi--and some residents remained without electricity or phone service
by week's end. According to Taylor, the area from Matagorda. to Calhoun
counties suffered the worst damage. "Hams have been the only communication
and still are in most of the areas," he added.
The storm inflicted heavy damage and caused power and telephone outages in
the City of Victoria, Taylor reported. "The EOC had no power and operated
on batteries with hams radio as the only outlet," Taylor said. When the
backup power failed District Emergency Coordinator Larry Barton, WB5NIC,
re-established communication via his HF mobile rig.
While Claudette was still in the Gulf of Mexico, the Hurricane Watch Net
(HWN) and WX4NHC at the National Hurricane Center activated to gather
observed or measured weather data and storm damage reports to aid
forecasters.
==>ADDITIONAL COSPONSORS SIGN ABOARD AMATEUR RADIO SPECTRUM PROTECTION ACT
Additional cosponsors have signed aboard the Amateur Radio Spectrum
Protection Act of 2003. Identical versions of the measure, an ARRL
initiative, have been introduced in both the US House and Senate. The
House version, HR 713, now has 44 cosponsors, while the Senate version, S
537, has five. Now on their third try on Capitol Hill, both measures would
require the FCC to provide "equivalent replacement spectrum" to Amateur
Radio if the FCC reallocates primary amateur frequencies, reduces any
secondary amateur allocations, or makes additional allocations within such
bands that would substantially reduce their utility to amateurs.
Florida Republican Rep Michael Bilirakis filed the House version of the
bill, HR 713, on February 12. The measure's most recent cosponsors include
US representatives JD Hayworth (R-AZ), Paul Gillmor (R-OH), Greg Walden,
WB7OCE, (R-OR), Rick Boucher (D-VA), John M. Spratt Jr (D-SC) , Sherwood
L. Boehlert (R-NY), Robert Wexler (D-FL), Mike McIntyre (D-NC), Ken
Calvert, (R-CA), Joe Wilson (R-SC), John T. Doolittle (R-CA), Neil
Abercrombie (D-HI) and Frank Pallone Jr (D-NJ).
Idaho Sen Michael Crapo introduced the Senate version of the bill on March
6. Original cosponsors were senators Daniel Akaka (D-HI) and Larry Craig
(R-ID). Other S 537 cosponsors are US senators Conrad Burns (R-MT), Sen
Susan M. Collins (R-ME) and Max Baucus (D-MT). Burns chairs the Senate
Communications Subcommittee.
ARRL President Jim Haynie, W5JBP, continues to encourage ARRL members to
urge their senators and representatives and to cosponsor the bills, which
lends support to legislation while it's in committee. The House bill has
been referred to the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet;
the Senate bill will be considered by the Commerce, Science and
Transportation Committee. According to Haynie, letters and e-mails are the
key to getting legislation passed.
A sample letter is available on the ARRL Web site
<http://www.arrl.org/govrelations/arspa.html>. Those writing their
lawmakers are asked to copy their correspondence to the League via e-mail
<specbill03@arrl.org&gt;.
On June 11, Haynie testified on Capitol Hill on behalf of HR 713. He was
the last of 11 scheduled witnesses to speak during the Subcommittee on
Telecommunications and the Internet hearing, "The Spectrum Needs of Our
Nation's First Responders." Haynie told the subcommittee that hams have
lost more than 100 MHz of VHF and UHF spectrum over the past 15 years and
that another nearly 360 MHz of VHF and UHF spectrum "has been
substantially compromised."
The text of HR 713 and S 537 is available via the Thomas Web site
<http://thomas.loc.gov/>.
==>ARISS LOGS TWO SUCCESSFUL EUROPEAN CONTACTS
The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) program
recently completed two contacts with school groups in Europe. ISS NASA
Science Officer and Flight Engineer Ed Lu, KC5WKJ, spoke on July 1 with
students aboard a Russian sailing-training vessel in France and on July 7
with space campers at the Euro Space Center in Belgium.
The July 1 Amateur Radio QSO from the deck of the training vessel Mir
marked the ship's second involvement in a space contact. In 1999, students
onboard the ship Mir exchanged greetings with French astronaut Jean-Pierre
Haignerť, FX0STB, and Russian cosmonaut Victor Afanassiev onboard the
Russian space station Mir.
This year, students of the nearby Val Saint Denis College greeted Lu with
"Happy birthday to you" to acknowledge the astronaut's 40th birthday on
the day of the contact. Lu then proceeded to answer 13 questions. Among
other topics, students wanted to know about the crew's voyage on the Soyuz
rocket to the ISS, how long it takes the ISS to orbit Earth and the main
differences between the ISS and the Russian Mir space station.
Since there were no favorable ISS passes over France, two-way audio for
the contact was handled via a MCI teleconferencing circuit. With the ISS
over the Pacific at the time, Nancy Rocheleau, WH6PN, handled Earth
station duties from Honolulu.
On the morning of July 7, Lu answered questions from space campers during
a scheduled ARISS school group contact with youngsters at the Euro Space
Center's ON4ESC in Belgium. One student wanted to know what Lu would
change or add to the space program if he had the choice.
"I would love to go to Mars, and I hope that at some point we do have a
mission which goes to Mars, Lu responded. No human mission to the Red
Planet now is in the works.
Some 150 children gathered in the auditorium. The group included 45
Americans living in Europe, explained ARISS Vice Chairman Gaston Bertels,
ON4WF, who was on hand for the contact and introduced the juvenile
audience to ham radio and the ARISS program.
Lu answered ON4ESC's call on right on schedule as well as the 17 questions
from the youngsters during the nearly eight-minute pass.
The ARISS contacts from France and Belgium were the 104th and 105th school
group QSOs, respectively. ARISS is an international project with
participation by ARRL, AMSAT and NASA. For more information, visit the
ARISS Web site <http://www.rac.ca/ariss>.
==>COSMONAUT-HAM PLANS TO WED WHILE IN SPACE
International Space Station Expedition 7 crew commander Yuri Malenchenko,
RK3DUP, plans to get married next month while still in orbit. If it
happens, the wedding--which would have to take place by proxy--would be a
space first. Fort Bend, Texas, County Clerk Dianne Wilson told ARRL that
she issued a marriage license July 17 to Malenchenko and Ekaterina
Dmitriev.
"The commander, through his attorney Harry Noe, presented communication of
his status, proper photo identification and a power of attorney in order
for me to issue the license," she said. "Texas law permits one or both
applicants to be absent for the issuance of the marriage license and one
or both applicants to be absent from the marriage ceremony by having a
proxy stand in for one or both."
While Wilson said false rumors have been circulating that the wedding has
been called off, she has confirmed with the couple's attorney that the
ceremony will take place August 10 in Clear Lake, Texas. There's no word
yet on whether Malenchenko's crewmate, US astronaut Ed Lu, KC5WKJ, will
serve as best man in space.
Wilson said she and her staff celebrated the event with the bride by
dressing in red, white and blue and decorating with similarly hued
balloons to represent the colors of the Russian, US and Texas flags.
"This is the first time a marriage license has been issued in the world to
a person 'not on this Earth,'" she added. "I had the honor yesterday of
meeting the beautiful bride and hope someday to have the honor of meeting
the groom."
The news service Reuters quoted NASA spokesperson Rob Navias as saying
that Malenchenko had assured space officials that no ISS resources would
be used for the event, so an exchange of vows via telephone may not be
possible. Reuters reported that after Malenchenko returns from space in
October, the couple have a church wedding in Russia followed by a
honeymoon in Australia. Malenchenko is 41; Dmitriev, who lives in the
Houston area, is 26.
==>CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR SIGNS AMATEUR ANTENNA BILL
Recent efforts by proponents of California's Amateur Radio antenna bill
apparently paid off July 14 when Gov Gray Davis signed Assembly Bill 1228.
The measure, which cleared both legislative branches with unanimous votes,
incorporates the essence of the limited federal preemption known as PRB-1
into California law.
"Amateur Radio's message got through 'the pileup' in Sacramento," said
ARRL Southwestern Division Director Art Goddard, W6XD. "Thanks to all the
hams in California who wrote cards, letters and e-mails urging their
representatives and their governor to pass this legislation."
In a statement <http://tinylink.com/?xzrT4PAls9&gt;, Davis cited the
"thousands of hours of volunteer service" Amateur Radio operators donate
in support of state and local government. Davis said ham radio volunteers
play a crucial role in times of disasters or emergencies. "By providing a
reliable communication system during an emergency situation, such as a
terrorist attack, Amateur Radio stations provide an invaluable service to
the state of California," he added.
AB 1228 was sponsored by freshman Assembly member Bob Dutton (R-Rancho
Cucamonga). Mike Mitchell, W6RW, spearheaded the Amateur Radio community's
efforts to promote the bill. "Great news that Governor Davis signed AB
1228!" a delighted Mitchell reacted. "Congratulations to the hams of
California!"
Goddard expressed similar elation. "This bill will give hams in California
a fighting chance to have a reasonable antennas," he said. He also
congratulated Dutton and his staff for shepherding the bill through
committees and both legislative chambers without a single dissenting vote
and thanked Mitchell for being "our sparkplug" on the bill. He also cited
ARRL staffer Dean Straw, N6BV, and Pacific Director Bob Vallio, W6RGG, for
speaking on behalf of the bill in committee hearings.
The bill went to Davis for his signature on July 3, and Goddard and Vallio
promptly mounted a campaign to have amateurs contact Davis and urge him to
sign it. Davis had vetoed a similar bill in 2000, in part citing the cost
for studies the legislature had required. The 2003 bill contained no such
provisions. Davis now is facing the possibility of a recall election.
The new law requires any ordinance regulating Amateur Radio antenna
structures not to preclude but to "reasonably accommodate" Amateur Radio
communications, to allow amateur station antenna structures "at heights
and dimensions sufficient to accommodate Amateur Radio Service
communications" and to constitute "the minimum practicable regulation to
accomplish the legitimate purpose of the city or county."
The most ham-populated state in the US, California becomes the 20th state
to adopt PRB-1 legislation. The state is home to some 100,000 amateur
licensees--almost 15 percent of the US total.
A copy of the measure is available on the California Legislature Web site
<http://info.sen.ca.gov/pub/bill/asm/ab_1201-1250/ab_1228_bill_20030630_en
rolled.html>.
==>FCC OPINION BOLSTERS FEDERAL PREEMPTION OVER RF INTERFERENCE MATTERS
An FCC Memorandum Opinion and Order (MO&O) released earlier this month
bolsters the doctrine of federal preemption over local efforts to regulate
radio frequency interference (RFI). The ARRL had commented in the
proceeding, WT Docket 02-100, which could have implications for Amateur
Radio. The proceeding stemmed from efforts by Anne Arundel County,
Maryland, to require telecommunication service providers to certify their
facilities would not interfere with the county's public safety
communication system.
"We find that federal law preempts provisions of the Anne Arundel County,
Maryland, zoning ordinances involving radio frequency interference," the
FCC declared in granting Cingular Wireless' Petition for a declaratory
ruling and denying the county's motion to dismiss. ARRL had supported
Cingular's position in the proceeding. Cingular asserted in its petition
that Congress had established a "pervasive regulatory scheme" that grants
the FCC exclusive jurisdiction to regulate RFI, and that the Anne Arundel
zoning amendments conflicted with the Commission's rules regarding
resolution of RFI cases. The FCC also said it expected all parties to
continue cooperating to resolve remaining RFI issues.
Anne Arundel County in January 2002 adopted zoning amendments requiring
commercial telecommunication providers to demonstrate that their
facilities would not degrade or interfere with the public safety radio
system. The amended ordinance gave the county the authority to revoke a
zoning certificate if such interference or degradation occurred or if
telecommunication service providers did not certify their systems to be in
compliance with FCC standards and guidelines.
The FCC said it found that the county's zoning provisions went beyond
traditional zoning functions and attempted to regulate RFI. The FCC
Memorandum Opinion and Order is available on the FCC Web site
<http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-03-2196A1.doc>.
==>SOLAR UPDATE
Propagation prophet Tad "Tequila Sunrise" Cook, K7RA, Seattle, Washington,
reports: Stormy space weather returned this week. The average daily
planetary A index is over twice the value we reported last week! The
quietest day was July 10, with a planetary A index of 8. The most active
days were July 11, 12 and 16, when the planetary A index was 46, 46 and
48, respectively.
The planetary A index was expected to quiet down for Friday, July 18, then
rise to 15, 20 and 25 for July 19-21. Solar flux is expected to remain
around 135 to 145 through the rest of July with a somewhat higher value
possible July 24.
On the morning of Saturday, July 12 (Friday night in North America), Earth
was inside a strong solar wind coming from a coronal hole on the sun. The
resulting geomagnetic storm produced auroras seen from Canada and the
northern US. Then on July 16 another solar wind--weaker than the earlier
one--caused a moderate geomagnetic storm, although the planetary A index
was marginally higher. The mid-latitude A index though was much lower on
July 16 compared to July 11.
Sunspot numbers for July 10 through 16 were 137, 127, 102, 137, 159, 154
and 164, with a mean of 140. The 10.7-cm flux was 122.8, 122, 121.5,
126.5, 127.2, 125.8 and 133.1, with a mean of 125.6. Estimated planetary A
indices were 8, 46, 46, 14, 15, 27 and 48, with a mean of 29.1.
__________________________________
==>IN BRIEF:
* This weekend on the radio: The North American QSO Party (RTTY), the
Pacific 160-Meter Contest, the CQ World Wide VHF Contest, the Museum Ships
Special Event and the CQC Great Colorado Gold Rush are the weekend of July
19-20. JUST AHEAD: The IOTA Contest, the Russian RTTY World Wide Contest,
the Kentucky QSO Party and the Black Sea 2-Meter VHF FM Contest are the
weekend of July 26-27. See the ARRL Contest Branch page
<http://www.arrl.org/contests/> and the WA7BNM Contest Calendar
<http://www.hornucopia.com/contestcal/index.html> for more info.
* ARRL Emergency Communications course registration: Registration for the
United Technologies Corporation Grant-sponsored Level II ARRL Amateur
Radio Emergency Communications on-line course (EC-002) that begins July 29
will remains open through Sunday, July 20 or until all seats are filled.
Registration opens Monday, July 21, 12:01 AM Eastern Daylight Time (0401
UTC), for the Level III Emergency Communications on-line course (EC-003).
Registration remains open through the July 26-27 weekend or until all
available seats have been filled--whichever comes first. Class begins
Tuesday, August 5. Thanks to a grant from United Technologies Corp, the
$45 registration fee paid upon enrollment will be reimbursed after
successful completion of the Level III course. During this registration
period, approximately 50 seats are being offered to ARRL members on a
first-come, first-served basis. To learn more, visit the ARRL
Certification and Continuing Education Web page <http://www.arrl.org/cce/>
and the C-CE Links found there. For more information, contact Emergency
Communications Course Manager Dan Miller, K3UFG, dmiller@arrl.org;
860-594-0340.
* ARRL Certification and Continuing Education course registration:
Registration for the new ARRL VHF/UHF--Life Beyond the Repeater (EC-008)
and the High Frequency Digital Communications (EC-005) courses opens
Monday, July 21, 12:01 AM EDT (0401 UTC). Registration remains open
through Sunday, July 27. Classes begin the afternoon of Tuesday, July 29.
Registration for the ARRL Antenna Modeling (EC-004) course remains open
through Sunday, July 20. Those interested in taking an ARRL Certification
and Continuing Education (C-CE) course in the future can sign up to be
advised via e-mail in advance of registration opportunities. To take
advantage, send an e-mail to prereg@arrl.org. On the subject line,
indicate the course name or number (eg, EC-00#) and the month you want to
start the course. In the message body, provide your name, call sign, and
e-mail address. Please do not send inquiries to this mailbox. To learn
more, visit the ARRL Certification and Continuing Education Web page
<http://www.arrl.org/cce> and the C-CE links found there. For more
information, contact Certification and Continuing Education Program
Coordinator Howard Robins, W1HSR, hrobins@arrl.org.
* The W5YI Report to QRT: The W5YI Report, dubbed "America's Oldest Ham
Radio Newsletter," has announced that it's ceasing publication with its
July 15 issue. Begun some 25 years ago by Fred Maia, W5YI, as a service to
the Richardson (Texas) Wireless Club, The W5YI Report evolved into a
twice-monthly paid-subscription compilation of ham radio and--more
recently--electronics industry and Internet-related news printed on
distinctive pink paper. Maia, 68, sold his company, W5YI Group
<http://www.w5yi.org>, which included The W5YI Report and the W5YI-VEC, to
Larry Pollock, NB5X, in 2000. Maia agreed to continue editing the
newsletter for another three years, but now he wants to give it up,
although he will continue his monthly column in CQ. Current subscriptions
to The W5YI Report will be fulfilled with CQ subscriptions starting with
the August issue.
* Hams support communications in Arizona forest fire: Amateur Radio
Emergency Service (ARES) and Radio Amateur Emergency Service (RACES)
volunteers have been providing communications support during the Kinishba
Fire <http://www.fireground.com/> in the White Mountains of Arizona. Some
1000 firefighters have been battling the 20,100-acre Kinishba Fire,
approximately 20 percent contained at week's end. Navajo County Emergency
Coordinator Cris McBride, KB7QXQ, says Navajo County DEC and RACES Officer
Dave Epley, N9CZV, is heading the Amateur Radio response at a Red Cross
evacuation Center in Snowflake, the Navajo County emergency operations
Center in Holbrook and the Whiteriver Red Cross communications center.
McBride credits Epley with working into the early hours of July 17 to set
up repeater links so Red Cross personnel in Snowflake could communicate
with their colleagues in Whiteriver. "Until that time, the Red Cross
workers could not communicate effectively, as their cell phones would not
work with the cell phone company's system out of Whiteriver," McBride
said, adding that Whiteriver--in the heart of White Mountain Apache tribe
territory--sits in a "communication hole." Some 5000 Whiteriver residents
evacuated to safe zones were allowed to return home at week's end. The
fire, ignited by lightning, remained some two miles from a trigger point
that would result in further evacuations, however.
* Harmonics Web pages open up the possibilities of ham radio for
youngsters: An eight-year-old kid's first crystal set, built with the help
of his grandfather. Hearing radio signals without electricity. That was
how many veteran Amateur Radio operators were introduced to the magic of
radio in past eras. The new century offers many avenues--including the
Internet--through which youngsters can experience the same magic. With
that in mind, ARRL Field and Educational Services introduces the Harmonics
Web pages <http://www.arrl.org/FandES/ead/youth/>. "The mission of the new
Harmonics kids' pages is to expose children to the possibilities of
Amateur Radio, not clobber them over the head with a pile of technical
information," said Educational Programs Coordinator Jean Wolfgang, WB3IOS.
The Web pages currently feature the first of a number of age-appropriate
activities for kids. Web visitors can play games, download informative
printouts to color, read news articles about other kids involved with ham
radio, work puzzles, click on live links, listen to audio samples of Morse
code and space station contacts and much more. Throughout the site, kids
are greeted by colorful cartoon "ham-sters" who explore the world of
Amateur Radio along with the young people visiting the site. The pages
target kids aged 5 to 15. Harmonics invites them to get acquainted with
the basic concepts of Amateur Radio through immediate personal interaction
and by discovering how other kids are using ham radio for personal
communication and to expand their exploration of science and technology.
Wolfgang says Harmonics will include more games and a QSL card template
with drag-and-drop interactive design in the near future.
* ARRL Instructor's Manual Supplement now available: The ARRL Instructor's
Manual Supplement, edited by Jan Carman, K5MA, this 32-page booklet
provides lesson plans, student assignments and review questions that are
compatible with the new Technician exam pool that became effective July 1.
The Instructor's Manual Supplement also is designed for use with the new
fifth edition of the popular Now You're Talking! study guide. The
supplement will accompany all copies of the ARRL Instructor's Manual
shipped after August 1. It's also available separately ($5.00 plus
shipping) via the ARRL on-line catalog
<http://www.arrl.org/catalog/?item=8039&gt; for those who already have a
current edition of the Instructor's Manual, and it's free for downloading
in PDF format from the ARRL Web site
<http://www.arrl.org/FandES/ead/instructor/InsMan.pdf>. For additional
information, visit the ARRL Volunteer Instructor Support Program Web page
<http://www.arrl.org/FandES/ead/instructor/>.
* Active Club Online Primer now live! If your club is looking for loads of
helpful information to keep things moving, check out the Active Club
Online Primer <http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/club/cpw/>. Combining the
best of the completely updated Club President's Workbook and the Special
Service Club Manual, this online resource permits quick access to hundreds
of pages that can enhance your club's functioning and help it to attract
new members. Need to know how to get your club more involved in public
service? How to present programs that make meetings more lively? How to
help hams with disabilities? Find it fast on the Active Club Online
Primer!
* Vote on QST Cover Plaque Award: The winner of the QST Cover Plaque Award
for June was Bill Wageman, K5MAT, for his article, "The Transverter--An
Introduction to a Useful Device." Congratulations, Bill! The winner of the
QST Cover Plaque award--given to the author or authors of the best article
in each issue--is determined by a vote of ARRL members. Voting takes place
each month on the QST Cover Plaque Poll Web page
<http://www.arrl.org/members-only/qstvote.html>. Cast a ballot for your
favorite article in the July issue of QST. Voting ends July 31.
* Hold that AMSAT-NA ballot! Due to a printing error, incorrect Board of
Directors' ballot information recently went out to AMSAT-NA members.
AMSAT-NA has announced that it will reprint all 2003 ballot materials in
another color to differentiate between the ballots just mailed. AMSAT
members should use only the new ballots. Any of the incorrect white ballot
cards received will be destroyed. Direct questions or comments to AMSAT-NA
Corporate Secretary Martha Saragovitz <martha@AMSAT.rg&gt;.
===========================================================
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Radio Relay League--The National Association For Amateur Radio--225 Main
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The ARRL Letter

The ARRL Letter offers a weekly summary of essential news of interest to active amateurs that is available in advance of publication in QST, our official journal. The ARRL Letter strives to be timely, accurate, concise and readable.

Much of the ARRL¬†Letter content is also available in audio form in ARRL¬†Audio News.

Material from The ARRL Letter may be republished or reproduced in whole or in part in any form without additional permission. Credit must be given to The ARRL Letter and The American Radio Relay League.

Back issues published since 2000 are available on this page. If you wish to subscribe via e-mail, simply log on to the ARRL Web site, click on Edit Your Profile at the top, then click on Edit Email Subscriptions. Check the box next to The ARRL email newsletter, the ARRL Letter and you will receive each weekly issue in HTML format. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Plain-Text

The ARRL E-Letter e-mail is also available in plain-text version:

Outlook Express

1. From the Inbox view, select the Tools menu and the Options selection.

2. Click the Read tab

3. Check the Read All Messages In Plain Text box.¬† When you open the e-mail, it will be in plain text without images. Other e-mail programs may be able to make a Mail Rule for e-mail received from the address memberlist@www.arrl.org so that the plain-text-only display is selected automatically.

Outlook 2007

Use the same procedure as for Outlook Express, although the global option is under "Tools/Trust Center/E-mail Security".

Use the "Message text garbled?" link in the drop-down menu at the upper right of the displayed message block. pine, alpine Set "prefer-plain-text" in your ~/.pinerc configuration file: feature-list=..., prefer-plain-text, ...